Awakening: Chapter 7

Chapter 7

                  





            Foxglove stood stunned and speechless.  Never had she expected this sort of a confession from her beloved chipmunk.  Finally, she found her voice, at least some of it.

            "You…you never…never…?" began the bat, staring at the suddenly crestfallen chipmunk.

            Dale sat down on the sand with a sigh and Foxy sat next to him, literally all ears to what he needed to say.

            "I grew up in an orphanage, Foxy, along with Chip."

            Foxy's jaw dropped, "Chip, too?" she asked with a start.  Her mind flew back over what she knew of the boys…of any of the Rangers.  In a fleeting moment she realized that she could tell them apart by their acoustic shadow, tell if they'd had dinner by sonar, and see if they were bored or excited by their heartbeats…but didn't know their middle names.  She'd never even heard them use their last names.

            "Yeah.  Miss Nutmeg, she was our supervisor and a wonderful kind-hearted old vole, told me that we arrived at the orphanage about a month apart.  I was about a year and-a-half old and Chip was three."

            Her large ears focused on him, captured every tone and syllable, finding the sounds of her beloved revealing these truths.

            "We grew up together, went through school, played at the Acorn Club, and met Plato on one of our first adventures.  Until we started the Rescue Rangers, Chip was the only one I could really trust and count on.  He's…he's the closest thing I've ever had to a family."

            She found all of the signs of someone trying to act as though it wasn't a big deal in his words, but he couldn't hide the hurt from her senses, and she knew that there was more there than he had allowed himself to reveal.  She gently wrapped a wing around him, trying to lend some solace as she tried to think of something comforting to tell him.

            "I'm so sorry, Dale, I wish I knew what to say," she said forlornly.

            "There isn't really anything you can say.  It wasn't your fault that my parents didn't want me," he stated with a hint of bitterness.

            "You don't know that," she interjected gently, "What if they just didn't have the means to support you?  Or they needed to put you somewhere safe for a while?"

            "They weren't coming back for me, they never did.  They just left me with a note that had my name and birthday on it, nothing else, no explanation, no apology, nothing."

            "Maybe they never had the chance to come back," she said quietly, then tried a different approach, "Have you ever tried to find them?"

            He nodded, "Both Chip and I have tried a few times to find our parents, but we always hit dead-ends.  Evidently, they don't want to be found."

            Foxy digested the information in silence and decided to change the subject to something she hoped was more upbeat, "You mentioned the Acorn Club, what is that?"

            Dale leaned back slightly and closed his eyes as memories from other times and other places flooded back into his mind.

            "It's a nightclub in Manhattan, we used to play there with a singer named Clarice."

            Curiosity started to get the best of the bat, "What was this 'Clarice' like?"

            Dale winced, fearing that Foxy might become a little jealous, "She's a chipmunk, a very talented singer, and she…she was…she was my and Chip's girlfriend for awhile…at the same time."

            Foxy tilted her head quizzically at that.

            "You see," he explained quickly, "She arranged it so we would meet her at the same time, and neither of us knew she was dating the other.  When we found out that we were going out with the same girl, sparks and fists flew and things got a little tense between me and Chip."

            Foxy curled her lip. She had seen how competitive the boys could be. She wondered how many police battalions it had taken to get them back under control.

            "We figured out pretty quick that it was either her or our friendship; it wasn't much of a choice, we kept our friendship.  She respected our decision and we continued to work together at the Club for about a year.  After that, she went up to Albany and we lost touch with her.  That was about the time we met up with Plato and the rest you know."

            She nodded, "I see.  What instruments did you play?"

            "Bass guitar, upright version mostly, sometimes an acoustic guitar or a ukulele.  Chip played the piano very well."

            "Wow," she said, amazed at the talent the chipmunk had pent-up inside him, "How come you haven't told anyone about this?"

            He shrugged, "It never came up before, and I guess we're a little shy about telling the others about our past."

            "Then why tell me?"

            "Because…" he began hesitantly, "Because you deserve the truth.  You've trusted me with pieces of your life that you've never shared with anyone else before, and it wouldn't be fair of me not to do the same with you," sorrow once again filled his eyes, "And my parents left me…I…I don't think I could bear you leaving me too."

            She hugged him tenderly, "Thank you, Cutie, I truly appreciate that, and I don't plan on leaving," she said meaningfully, "Anyway, to answer your question from before: I love you because you're everything I said before you were and your faults, which aren't that bad at all, simply add to your personality.  Plus, I'm just now finding out all your hidden musical talents and, to top it all off, you're the cutest stud-muffin I could ever hope for."

            Dale blushed significantly as she continued.

            "I want you to listen closely to what I'm telling you: you may be a little dense, but believe me when I tell you that you are not stupid or an idiot, no matter what anyone tells you, they're wrong.  Do you understand?"

            He smiled slightly, "Yeah, Foxy, I do, and thanks," he said sincerely, "But I only wish I could tell you that I feel the same way about you.  You're the first girl to want a deep relationship with me and I really don't know how to react to that."

            He sighed, looked to the surrounding landscape, and continued.

            "But I do know that you're a very special friend with a wonderful, caring personality who taught me how to hang-glide and helped me build a glider…and rebuild it…all three times…and I wouldn't trade the fun we've had or our friendship for the world.  The last thing I want to do is hurt you and I'm afraid I'll do that if I continue in this relationship when you want a deeper one."

            Foxy's countenance fell, "Does…does this mean you don't want to have any sort of a relationship?"

            Dale was taken aback by the suggestion, "What?  No, no, that's not what I mean at all," he stood up and she did the same and he put his hands on her shoulders, "What I'm saying is I don't know if I can return the love you feel for me, not yet anyway.  I just need some time to figure it out.  Is that okay?"

            Though disappointed, she was greatly relieved that he wanted to try and she hugged him again, "It's more than okay, Darling.  You're worth waiting for.  And just so everything is clear, I love you more than my own life."

            Dale returned the hug.  He hesitated and lightly kissed her cheek.  He held the pleasantly surprised bat at arm's length and reassured her, "I'll try not to keep you waiting long."





            "Here's lunch!" Gadget announced cheerfully.

            Chip felt a pang of guilt as he reclined in the lounge chair and she brought him a tray of Monty's fixin's and another drink.  She had been waiting on him since he rolled his ankle just two hours earlier and he was starting to feel like he was taking advantage of her kindness even though he was actually injured.

            "This is very nice of you, Gadget, and I really appreciate you doing this for me, but I don't want to be a burden."

            "Nonsense," she declared, "You shouldn't do anything with your ankle in its current condition, so you need to rest until it heals."

            "Okay," Chip sighed his compliance.

            Gadget saw an opportunity and chose to take it.

            "Besides," she ventured, "I want to do this."

            Chip slowly turned to her and sat up, "You…you do?"

            "Well, yes Chip, I do.  I mean, you've been doing so many nice things for me lately, helping me helping me with my inventions…the flowers…"

            'She's noticed?  She actually noticed the flowers?!' Chip's mind raced.

            She knelt down to eye-level next to him.  She was taking a substantial risk but she hoped it would be well worth the effort.

            "And I just wanted you to know," she gently took his hand, her face coloring slightly, "That I really, really appreciate everything you've done."

            Had there been a roof overhead, Chip's heart rate would have punched a hole through it.  The mouse he was in love with was holding his hand and admitting that she had noticed his advances.  And not only that, but she wanted to return the favor in kind.  It was a dream, many dreams in fact, that was finally coming true.

            So why was he scared out of his wits?

            His pulse raced and his face flushed as he felt anxiety begin to build.

            'An escape,' his mind told him, 'Find an escape!'

            'Now's your chance,' his heart intoned, 'You know you love her, so tell her!'

            'This is too close!  Too close!' his mind warned.

            'Tell her you love her!' his heart argued.

            'Find an escape!' his mind screamed.

            "Chip?  Chip, are you feeling okay?" Gadget's voice, laced with concern, filtered through Chip's mental argument, "You're not beginning to get heat-stroke, are you?"

            "Huh?  Oh, no, I was, uh…just, uh…" he stammered, his mental alarms alerting him to some unseen "danger".  He needed to get out of the situation and he needed to do it now, but how?

            "Uh, Chip, can talk to you?"

            Chip and Gadget nearly jumped out of their skins at Dale's unnoticed arrival.  Once they collected themselves, Chip wheeled around to his friend.

            "Dale!  Don't sneak up on me like that!" Chip berated in an angry tone, though secretly relieved, "Is this something really important?"

            Dale stammered, "Well, it's kinda, um, yeah, it's important."

            Chip sighed and turned back to Gadget, who was still holding his hand, "Um, Gadget, do you mind if talk to Dale privately?"

            Disappointment flickered over her face before being replaced by a somewhat forced smile.

            "Not at all, Chip," she managed to say cheerfully as she stood up, "I'll just check over some of my things in the Rangerplane."

            "Actually, Gadget," Dale interjected, "I think Foxy needs someone to talk to; she's over by your tent."

            "Ok, I'll go do that then," she said and trotted over to the tent where Foxy was standing just outside.

            Dale meanwhile plopped down next to his friend with a sigh.  Chip saw that he wasn't his usual happy self.  He couldn't place the expression though, it wasn't sad or depressed…just odd.
            Clearly it had something to do with relationships.  After a few silent minutes, he spoke.

            "Are you okay?"

            Dale shrugged, "Yeah.  I've been better, though."

            "Is Foxglove okay?"

            "She is now.  I nearly screwed things up royally…again," he answered a little sullenly.

            "What happened?" Chip broached.

            "I told her that I had no idea why she was in love with me and that I didn't even know that she was in love with me until you told me."

            "Ouch," Chip winced, "How did she take it?"

            "She nearly left in tears," Dale shook his head sadly, "I never meant to hurt her, but I managed to anyways."

            "But you got her to stay, right?"

            "Chip," Dale began tentatively, "I was so scared and desperate, more than I've ever been before in my life, and she saw that, I think it was the only thing that made her stay.  She asked what happened to me, and…well…I told her about the orphanage."

            Dale saw Chip's eyes go wide…saw the shock there as the realization of an unspoken promise being broken settled in an unhappy place.

            Chip sat straight up, "What?!  You told her?!  Why on earth would you…would you…?"

            Chip stopped, breathing heavily, closing his eyes.  He sat back and rubbed his temples for a few moments, deflated, "I'm sorry, Dale, I shouldn't have snapped at you, we should've told everyone about that long ago.  How did she react?"

            "She said she was sorry and tried to be comforting and everything.  She understands at least a little bit of what we went through."

            "Really?" Chip asked curiously, "How so?"

            "She was an orphan, too," Dale explained and proceeded to relate her story to Chip.  When he finished, Chip was almost speechless.

            "Wow," he commented, "She really told you all that?"

            Dale nodded.

            "Wow," he said again, "I can see why you told her now.  So, you two are okay then?"

            "Yeah, I told her I didn't know how I felt about her and she said to take as much time as I need and that I'm…I'm worth the wait," he shook his head trying to come to grips with the statement, "I just can't believe it, Chip, she told me she knows my faults and everything but she still wants to have a real relationship thing."

            "Sounds like she really does love you, Dale, and that's something extraordinarily hard to find.  If you want my opinion, I think you should take this chance, I doubt there'll be another like her."

            Dale stood up and paced, "I know that, but if I get into a relationship with her and I realize that I don't love her, it'll crush her.  I'd rather disappoint her now, at least we'll still probably stay friends and she'll stick with the team, and I don't think I could live with myself if I broke her heart."

            Chip studied his friend for a minute, and shook his head and chuckled.

            "You know, I never thought I'd ever hear you sounding so mature, you've always been so happy-go-lucky and spontaneous that it's nearly driven me nuts," he continued in a more serious tone, "But I've seen you change so much in the last few months, you've matured and become more responsible.  I have complete faith that you'll make the right decision."

            Dale stopped pacing and looked at him.

            "You…do?" he asked in disbelief.  Dale knew his friend always trusted him with his own life, but this was the first time he ever said he trusted him with something like this.

            Chip nodded, "Yes, I do."

            "Wow…thank you, Chip, you have no idea what that means to me, I'll try to make you proud of me."

            Chip smiled, "I know you will."

            They both looked off and saw Gadget and Foxy still talking and they both appeared to be pretty upbeat.  Soon, they hugged and parted, each going her separate way.

            "How's Gadget treating you?" Dale asked.

            "The same way she treated you in New Zealand," Chip replied with a barely noticeable grin.

            Dale chuckled, "I figured she would.  I wasn't interrupting anything earlier, was I?"

            "Well, yes and no.  I think she was giving me an opportunity to tell her my feelings for her, but…I just couldn't."

            Dale nodded sullenly, "I thought it might've been something like that.  I'm sorry."

            Chip shrugged, "It's not your fault I couldn't tell her."

            "No, I mean for interrupting you two for all those other times."

            Chip looked at him quizzically so he explained.

            "You see, when I first started butting in between you two, it was half out of competition for Gadget and half out of jealousy because I thought I was in love with her.  But when I realized that you were really in love with her, I got scared."

            "Scared?  Of what?"

            Dale sighed and looked Chip right in the eye, "You're the only family I've ever had…and I'm scared of losing you."

            Chip stared silently at his friend, then leaned over and hugged him.

            "You've never had to worry about that, old friend, I should've told you that before.  We're practically brothers and neither time nor space can ever change that.  And even if things work out with Gadget, I will still be your friend."

            Dale returned the hug, a small tear forming in his eye, "Thanks, old buddy."

            Chip leaned back in the chair, "Of course, this whole thing with Gadget is simply academic, I don't even know if she really is interested in me.  I mean, she's a brilliant genius and I'm a detective."

            "Considering she gave you an opening to tell her your feelings, I think she is interested," Dale reasoned, "And she hasn't told you that she wasn't interested.  Besides, you're smart, too, and you both use blueprints for anything you build.  Heh, I'm surprised you didn't use the whole different species thing as a reason."

            "Well, Tammy and Foxglove sort of made that a moot point," Chip said and both had a good chuckle at the observation.

            "So, how come ya couldn't tell her?" Dale asked after they finished chuckling.

            Chip looked up at the sky, "I'm not sure.  I've been dreaming of that moment since…well, since we first met her, but when it finally came I choked…I guess I'm scared, too," he admitted, which took quite a bit for him to do.

            "Hmm," Dale stroked his chin pensively, "Maybe that's something you should talk to Monty about; he helped me out a lot last night when I talked to him about Foxy."

            Chip nodded, "Maybe I will then."

            Dale stood up and stretched, "Thanks for talking with me.  What you said really means a lot to me."

            "You're welcome and I'm glad we did, it cleared up some stuff and I'm happy I could help."

            The red-nosed chipmunk looked out over the ocean: it was fairly calm, a few small waves swept ashore every now and then, but it was nothing that he should worry about while swimming.

            "I think I'll grab one of those inflatable donut-thingies we brought and just relax out there for a little bit," he said.

            "Sounds good, just be careful out there," Chip cautioned.

            "Aw, come on, Chip, you know I'm a good swimmer.  Better than you, even" he added with a teasing wink.

            "I know you are," Chip responded seriously, casting wary glance over the ocean, "That's not what I'm worried about."  He shook his head, "Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but since yesterday, I've been feeling like…I don't know."

            "Like we're being watched?" Dale offered.

            They looked at each other for a long moment as an understanding, honed over a lifetime of friendship, flashed between them.

            Dale nodded, "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

            He left and Chip tried to get back to his Sureluck Jones novel, but he couldn't shake the feeling.

            'I'm probably just being paranoid,' he thought, 'There's no evidence saying that there's something wrong, I just need to relax and unwind.'

            He looked up from the book and noticed Gadget taking some equipment out of the Rangerplane and sorting it out on the ground.  It never ceased to amaze him how graceful she appeared, even when working, and it wasn't just her outward appearance.  He was enamored by her intelligence and kind heart.

            "I love her, I know I do.  I just need to tell her that."

            "So why don't you?" a pleasant voice asked.

            Chip shot straight up out of the chair and landed again after about two seconds' worth of hang-time slightly frazzled.

            Foxglove stood next to him, covering her mouth to stifle a giggle, "I'm sorry, Chip, I didn't mean to scare you."

            "Oh, it's you," he said as his heart rate and breathing returned to normal, "Was I talking out loud or something?"

            "Not really," she answered tapping her right ear with a wingtip, "I got these things, remember?" she said with a wink, "So, why don't you tell her?"

            He sighed, "I suppose when you get right down to it, I'm scared.  I mean, just look at her, she's perfect in every way, well, to me at least.  I guess I feel…I dunno…inferior to her."

            "Oh come on," she scoffed, "Do you really think she sees you as inferior to her?  You're very intelligent, Chip, and handsome to boot!  You've shown you can be tender and loving and I don't think there's any girl who wouldn't want you."

            Chip eyed her and grinned wryly, "Foxglove, are you coming on to me?"

            She went slack-jawed at the suggestion before realizing he was joking.  She grinned herself and playfully slapped him upside the head.

            He chuckled and apologized, "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist the temptation."

            She shook her head disapprovingly but continued smiling, "You have a sense of humor, too.  Relax, I think you just need to find the right time to her; she knows the kind of guy you are."

            'Even though she needed a small push to figure it out,' she didn't say.

            "You think so?" he asked hopefully.

            "Yep!" she assured, "Just wait, the time will come."

            He looked at her a bit curiously, "If you don't mind my asking, how did you become such an expert in the ways of love?"

            The bat maiden laughed, "Expert?  I'm hardly any sort of expert, Chip, but if you really want to know, when Winifred," she shuddered at the name, "When Winifred used to 'clean' at the public library, I would sneak off to look at books about love while she was busy researching spells and incantations."

            Chip pictured the scene in his mind, and saw the little pink bat fighting with books twice her size, struggling and longing to see the wisdom within…

            "Some of the stuff I read was pretty whacked-out but I found some advice and tips that had a ring of truth to them.  For some reason, though, I forget everything when I'm around Dale, maybe that's why he didn't know I was in love with him," she shrugged.

            "Well, Dale's mind is sort of like that.  Sometimes he needs things to be spelled out for him, so it's not your fault, and maybe you forget about that stuff because you can just be yourself around him."

            Foxy appeared thoughtful, "Huh, I never thought about it that way.  Still, I was really upset when he told me he didn't know, but now he's really thinking about it, so I'm pretty glad about that."

            Chip smiled, "That's good.  I should tell you that I've never seen Dale take anything this seriously before; I don't think you'll have to wait long."

            She, too, smiled, "Thank you, Chip.  Say, did you two really play at a nightclub?"

            He chuckled, "So he told you about that too, huh?  Yeah, the Acorn Club was a pretty nice place; we haven't been there in while, though.  Hmm…I wonder if I should take Gadget there for dinner sometime."

            "That's a great idea!" she said excitedly, "Maybe I can talk Dale into taking me there, too.  Say, was he good at playing guitar?"

            "Yes he was, actually.  He could put Marty McFly to shame with his rendition of 'Johnny B. Goode'."

            Foxy giggled and listened intently as Chip regaled her with tales of him and Dale before they formed the Rescue Rangers.



            Meanwhile, Dale floated in his inflatable ring not far off shore.  He had nearly flipped out when he saw Foxy slap Chip but realized they were just joking around when they started laughing.  He leaned back to do some serious thinking.

            His mind ran through all the advice he had been given over the past few days and all his experiences with Foxy up until that moment of decision.

            He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she loved him, but did his heart return the same feelings to her?

            "Finding someone who cares for ya is a wonderful thing," Monty had said, and he was right: it was wonderful, "And findin' a sheila as good as Foxy, that's a once in a lifetime thing."

            "…Once in a lifetime…" Chip had said essentially the same thing; this would probably be the only time it'll happen, so why not have a serious relationship?

            "…The last thing I want to do is hurt you and I'm afraid I'll do that if I continue in this relationship when you want a deeper one…"  That was why: it would be too selfish on his part and he might hurt her.  If there was going to be a relationship, he needed to be able to love her the same way she loved him.

            "What do I do?!" he cried out to himself.

            He racked his brain trying to sort out everything.  Clenching, he grabbed the sides of his head and squeezed his eyes shut in a futile attempt organize his thoughts and memories as flashbacks swirled chaotically about in his mind.

            "Don't lose her."

            "I've never had anyone fall in love with me before."

            "What's there not to love?"

            "She really loves you…that's something extraordinarily hard to find…you should take this chance."

            "But I don't know how I feel about her."

            "…If ya don't do anything, she'll be hurt bad."

            "The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

            "I doubt there'll be another like her."

            "…It's not your fault my parents didn't want me."

            "…I love you more than my own life…You're worth waiting for."

           

            His eyes snapped open and he gasped as Foxy's words echoed in his suddenly quiet mind.  Throughout his whole life, he had rarely thought himself worth anything, losing himself to fantasies and daydreams where he was the hero or someone important.  His own parents didn't want him, very few if any girls ever showed interest in him, and Chip was the only one who had stayed with him through everything.

            But she said he was worth something.  Something to wait for, something hope for, something to love.

            A tear rolled from his eye.  A sensation, like that of warm honey bubbling up from the depths of his heart, welled up in his chest.

            He knew.  He knew the answer.

            "Yes," he said quietly, a smile forming, "The answer is…yes.  I'm…"

            He couldn't finish his thought as he abruptly found himself completely submerged.  The salt water blurred his vision and he couldn't see what was dragging him down, he only knew he needed air, but he couldn't loose himself from the unseen attacker.

            His diaphragm convulsed and his lungs burned as they screamed for oxygen.  His eyelids fluttered, then shut as he slipped into unconsciousness.